SPPC has launched a call for 6 BESS projects totaling 3 GW/12,000 MWh, each with a 4-hour storage duration
All projects will be developed under a BOO model, with winners holding full control over the assets
It issued the RFQ call on April 23, 2026; the participation deadline is set for May 5, 2026
The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has launched a call to qualify battery energy storage system (BESS) projects worth 12,000 MWh in Saudi Arabia. This is the 2nd group of battery storage projects.
The capacity will be distributed across 6 projects, each with 500 MW/2,000 MWh capacity. Each Independent Storage Provider (ISP) facility must have 4-hour storage. The projects will be located in the following regions:
Samha BESS ISP in Qassim province
Al-Leeth BESS ISP in Makkah province
Al-Henakiyah BESS ISP in Madinah province
Khulis BESS ISP in Makkah province
Sadawi BESS ISP in Eastern province, and
Ashyrah BESS ISP in Makkah province.
Projects representing a combined capacity of 3 GW will be developed under a build-own-operate (BOO) model. The winning consortium will hold 100% equity in the special-purpose vehicle to be formed for project execution.
Each winning project will enter into a Storage Services Agreement with SPPC. It has not specified the duration of the contract. For the 1st group of 4 BESS projects tendered in November 2024 – representing 2 GW/8,000 MWh/4 hours capacity – it had mentioned a 15-year agreement for each of the winning facilities. It pre-qualified 21 companies for the 1st group under the managing and technical bidder category, and 12 companies in the managing-only category.
SPPC said that qualifications are also open for solar PV, wind, and energy storage projects, which will be tendered at a later stage.
The principal buyer, SPPC, launched the request for qualification (RFQ) call on April 23, 2026. Eligible developers can indicate their intent to participate in this round by May 5, 2026. Details of this tender under Project Code TENDER_152 are available on the powersaudiarabia.com website.
This tender will contribute to the country’s target of increasing the share of installed capacities from renewable energy sources and energy storage systems in Saudi Arabia’s energy mix to around 50% by 2030, it says.
It will entail expanding renewable energy capacity to 100 GW to 130 GW, and storage capacity to 48 GWh, as per the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC).
However, analysts at GlobalData believe the country will miss its renewable energy target unless it accelerates clean energy deployment to match the rising demand (see GlobalData: Saudi Renewable Capacity May Reach 74 GW By 2030).